Device for measuring pressures exerted by certain body portions on a support therefor



SCHEN'KER A June 12, 1945.

A. w. 2,378,039 DEVICE FOR MEASURING PRESSURES EXERTED BY CERTAIN I BODY PORTIONS ON A Rl ORT THEREFO 1942 SUPP Filed April 30, 2 Sheets-Sheet l2 INVENTOR. WSC/7201* A TTO/QNEY Patented June 12, 1945 -EXERTEDBY CERTAIN incur `irontriotis 7 oN A sUPPoRT `transmision l v,

' Abraham `W. Schenker, NewYorlQf-N.' Yi v -Applicatmn;Apri1so, 194.2,:senalNcgMimts n This .invention relates to measuring devices.' More .particularly my invention contemplates van :improved means for determining pressures exerted upon .or .borne by certain parts of the .human body, such as, for .example the spinal areas, the legs and feetand thighs.

One/of the objects-Qimmy invention is to `provide a measuring device `of the class described which shall be so designed that by'placing .a person in a reclining-.or standing positionon a. sup-f :port zthe pressure exerted by certainxspecied portions of fthe body. '.upon :such support or: the weight borne by thesaidrspeciiied portions of thebodymay beaccurately determined inorder that properly ydesigned.therapeutic `appliances maybe .built to offer relief or cure or tofmaintain tially along the line .4--4 yofl Figgl;

"Fig, 5 is a wiring diagram illustrating the-use ofthe-apparatus 'of my'invention; Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a measuringappa- 4ratus, similarfto Fig. 2, but of reducedsizeand f illustrating a modied form of my'invention; and v'7 isran enlarged cross-sectional view taken lsubstantially along the line 1 1* of .Fig A6.

lRe'ferringnow in detail to'the'drawingsI have 'illustrated 1in Figures 1l throughf51anapparatus 4constructed. and larranged in'accordance with my zinvention andi adapted, in lthis particular rin- Estance, -to measure :the weight vborne l by or ithe jpressure exerted vupon the posterior portions `of the bodyincluding the spine when the said'body is-in'reclining position on a 4bed or 'similar support. The information -thus fobtained vI 'have found of great value in lconstructing beds `or similar resting appliances having therapeutic corrective `value or increased relaxing value, such as for example a. device of the type shown, described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 398,798 led June 19, 1941, for Bed or similar body resting appliance.

The apparatus I0 of my inventioncomprises .-a florianma'1terminating1,1:f1einnerl 13| ,cr...suitab1e rigid. material .such Yas,r:for rexample,-.imeta11ic material .fhavingza plurality ofginternallyithreaded through .openings I2,..fspac.ed'from each other .a

predetermined rdistanne,l and, substantially covering 'the entire,larea....nf the ysaid member. IJI. Threadedly,receivedfinl :the fopenings .I2 are measuringunitsl; I ,Y .v 'f

. .Since each .of ithe vf units .-Is5 Care .of-asimilar construction I shall describeinlrletaila single unit, it being -understoodithat the-other .units'I5 vare as :clearly shown Fig. i3 of .the drawings.

The said unit I5 comprises .asupport member `II 'of suitable frigid material :and externally threaded .to .correspond rito pthe threads in the opening I2. .TheLsupport iIIiisinturnprovided with 4a longitudinal opening'. I4 .finto which .there is axially slidably received acrod I1.v The said larged headportionA `I8 which ispreferably lrounded off. as. shown abecause it isadapted to intimately lvcontact-portions 315 ythe body and might otherwise icause :discomfort to the patient.

.Encirclingthe rod Illandinterposed between the :head vI8 andthe support I6 `is .a compression 1 spring I9 ofepredeterminedstrength in accordance with needs of the invention.` By the above l vdescribed 'construction it isznoted that the fspring `Iilnormally'maintainsthefrod I1 ina position projecting above the support I6 and that vwhen any downward pressure is .exerted or any weight vlplaced `gupon fthe'rodzrli'lifitwill be eslidably moved downwardly, against ithe` action ofthe spring I9.

'It is here noted that a suflioient number :of

vunits- 1I 5 'may fbe .provided Ito :cover :an area suiiiyciently large ienough` `.to .place y.thereon Ya human `person in reclining. lposition `so..th:it,=as rshown in Figs. 1 and 2.'of1the drawings, .the body may be entirely supported by the enlarged .heads .I8 `of 'thefrods I1.-

It 'is understood. that" -vvhen such reclining position jdifferentfpasrts fof-the .body v:will 4exert different 'pressures @upon the :rods .I 1. .In :order tc determine such pressures fat `selected kportions lof lthe 'body -I have, .inrzaccordance .with my 1invention, providedtthe following construction and arrangement.

At a desired portion fo' "ber 2 Il` Y.is `provided which communicatesv with 'the 'opening' I4.'I ISu'itably securedfwithinithe chamber 20 for movement with the support I6 is an electric rheostat device 2| of any well known type of construction.

Secured to the rod I1 vfor movement therewith, by any suitable means such as for example the f the support 16a cham-l will be positioned adjacent the upper end of the' rheostat 2l. When the rods I'I are forced downwardly against the action of the springs I9 theY fingers 23 will move down correspondingly along the rheostat 2I to actuate the needle of the meter M due to the diierent amount of current passing therethrough to register the amount of pressure on the rods I'I.

As shown in Fig. 5 a single meter M may be placed in the circuit including al1 Vthe units I6 but a separate switch may be prov'xied to control each unit I6. Thus, for exam-ple, in Fig. 5, all

' the switches S are open With the exception of the switch S?, and therefore the pressure of that portion o1?v the body contacting they rod I1 corresponding tothe switch S will beregistered on the meter M. In this manner, by selectively closing the switchesS the pressure on any desired rod II may be determined.

In accordance with my invention the normal position of the nger 23 with respect to the rheostat 2l, While the head I8 of the pin Il is in contactive engagement with a body portion, may be altered-as desired by turning the support I6 either in a, clockwise or counter clockwise direction to raise or lower the said support IS by either compressing or releasing the compression spring I9 to thereby raise or lower the contact ngeralong the rheostat. By the above described construction it is also to be noted that each rod can be adjustably moved to a height so as to carry a desired part of the weight of `the body and the bed orother body appliance can be designed in accordance with the varying height of the heads:

I8 of the rods Il with respect to a horizontal base line.`

The main supporting member I2 for the units I5 may be in turn supported by means of uprights 26 resting upon a oor surface and upon which peripheral flanges |20, of theA member I2, are adapted to rest. Any other suitable well known supporting means for the member I 2 may be employed.

Any arrangement for the units I5 may be employed tocover the desired area such as -for example the plurality of rows shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings in which adjacent rows are in staggered relationship. f

In Figs. 6 and '7 I have shown a modified form of my invention in which the same construction and the same principle of operation for the measuring units are employed as inthe Figs. 1 to 5 form of my invention but in which the units, which in this form are designated as 40, are each mounted upon individual supporting members IIl instead of the member I2 the said supporting members 4I being in turn laterally slidable in tracks 42. This form of my inventonis particuvlarly suitable for use in measuring certain predetermined body portions such as for example the spine in which case the units 40 can follow the lateral curvature of the spine as well as the anteroposterior curvatures.

' In the' Figs. 6 and 7 form of my invention, the body, instead of resting solely upon the units may be vsupported by rigid flat supporting members 43 and 44 on opposite sides of the channel 45.

While in the drawings I have illustrated my invention as applied to the measurement of the forces exerted by a body in fully reclined position, it is understood that the same may be satisfactorily applied to determining such pressures of the body when in semi-reclining, sitting or standing position.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have herein described the principle and operation ofmy invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means.-Y Also, while it is designed to use the various features and elements in the combination and relations described, some of these may be altered and others omitted without intertering with the more general results outlined, and the invention extends to such use.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a measuring device of the class described, a plurality of axially movable rod members adapted to support the weight of predetermined areas `of the human body thereon, a separate support for each of said rod members, a general support for said separate supports, means associated with said rod members for indicating the relative pressures exerted between said rod members and said predetermined body areas and means for increasing or decreasing the indicated relative pressures While said body areas are being supported whereby each of the rod members may be made to support an equal amount of weight of said predetermined body areas, said means comprising a threaded portion of said separate support received in a correspondingly threaded portion of said general support.

2. In a measuring device of the class described, the combination of a plurality of axially slidably movable rod members adapted to support the weight of predetermined areas of the human body, a separate support for each of said rod members, resilient means for normally maintaining said rods at a uniform level with respect to their separate supports, said resilient means including a spring of predetermined strength for each rod member, electrical means associated with said rod members for indicating the relative pressures exerted between said rod members and said predetermined body areas, and means yfor increasing or decreasing Ithe said indicated relative pressures While said body portion is being supported by said rod members so that each rod member may be made to support an equal share of the weightrof said predetermined body portion, said last named means comprising means for enablingmovement of said separate support with respect to the rod member supported thereby ABRAHAM W. SCHENKERI 

